Lubricating-oil purifying and reclaiming system



F. R.'C. BOY D AND C. H. HAPGOOD. LUBRICATING OIL PURIFYING ANDRECLAIMING SYSTEM.

. APPLICATION ,FILED FEB. 27. 1920.

1,363,833.' Patented Dec, 28,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC B. C. BOYD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AND CYRUS HOWARD HAPGOOD,

OF NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

'LUBRICATING-OIL IPURIFYING AND BECLAIMING SYSTEM.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application filed February 27, 1920. Serial No. 361,872.

. State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful. Improvement inLubricating- Oil Purifying and Reclaiming Systems, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and ex act description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming system set forth in theKennedy Patent No. 1,318,086, dated October 7, 1919,

is also stated to be especially applicable to sea going ships, althoughit is stated that it may be found applicable to other lubricatingsystems. .The system has, in fact, been found to be adaptable to powergenerators other than marine engines and particularly to turbine drivenelectric generators. In fact, the specific embodiment of the inventiondescribed and illustrated in the Kennedy patent may be, withoutmodification, ap

plied to the lubricating systems of electric generating plants, and givemuch better results than are attainable with the filtration systemsgenerally employed. However, the application, to a turbine drivenelectric generator, of the specifi system disclosed by Kennedy asillustrative of his invention, may involve considerable modification ofthe oiling system now in use, thereby making the installation relativelyexpensive. Moreover, a purchaser who is not absolutely convinced of thesuperiority of the Kennedy system may hesitate to make a' change which,if it should prove relatively unsatisfactory, might necessitate arestoration of the original system at considerable expense. Theseconsiderations militate against sales of a system having the specificconstruction best designed for marineuse.

The object of the present invention 18. so to modify the marine systemof purifying and reclaiming oil as to better adapt t to land use, andespecially to power driven electric generators.

These electric generating plants vary widely in size, and while the mainfeatures of the present invention are applicable to pipe 0. that ittakes out oil from the lowest level of large and small generatingplants, different specific constructions are best adapted to the largeand small plants respectively. We have therefore disclosed twoembodiments of our invention. It will be understood, however, that stillother modifications may be. devised that will involve no departure fromthe principles underlying the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure is a diagram of an oil purifying and reclaiming system adaptedmore especially to relatively large turbine driven electric generators.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of a system adaptable to a turbine driven electricgenerator where the construction of Fig. 1 cannot be readily applied.

Referring first to the construction of Fig. 1: a. represents a steamturbine and b an electric generator connected therewith. The base of theengine is shown hollowed out to form an oil reservoir 0. It should beunderstood, however, that machines of this type are generally alreadyprovided with an oil reservoir, and it is intended to utilize the usualoil reservoir, however it may be constructed or positioned. From thisreservoir a pump (5 forces lubricating oil through a pipe 6, connectionstherefrom to the several bearings being shown at f g. and h. 7 The oilescaping from the several bearings passes down pipes i, j, and 7c totheoil reservoir. The described means for conveying oil to and from thebearings is typical, although it will be understood that otherarrangements are available and any arrangement already in use in anygiven plant may be left undisturbed. A pipe on, equipped with a reliefvalve n, leads from pipe e to the resoil ervoir. Through this pipepasses pumped from the reservoir in excess of that which flows throughthe bearings.

From the reservoir 0 extends a discharge This pipe is preferably solocated the reservo r, where the oil is most contaminated with water ordirt or both. The pipe ois of goose-neck shape, its discharge end beingat the level of the oil in the reservoir. The pipe 0 discharges into afunnel p communicating with a pipe 1' leading to a centrifugal separatorand purifier t, which is preferably of the type shown in the Kennedypatent aforesaid. A valve 8 on pipe r re ulates the flow, of oil to theseparator.

he separator and purifier t removes the oil, dirt and other impuritiesfrom the oil. The pure oil flows into a tank u. A pump 02 conveys thepurified oil througha pipe to back to the tank a. The separator andpurifier t and the pump '0 may be driven from a common drivlng shaft ormotor, or independently, as desired.

A pipe m extends from the tank u into the reservoir 0 and opens somewhatabove the normal level of the oil therein." It is normally functionless,but if an abnormal quantity of oil is introduced into the reservoir,some of the excess will be carried off by the pipe a: into the tank u.

A pipe y, provided with a normally closed valve 2, extends from thelower part of pipe 0 to the pipe 1'.

The system described may be used, in different ways. It is usuallypreferred to allow a continuous flow of oil from the reservoir to theseparator and purifier, the purified oil being continuously pumped fromthe tank 14 to the reservoir 0. This may be called the continuoussystem'of cleaning;

If, however, it is desired to clean the entire volume of oil atintervals, valve z',may be.

opened when the machine is shutdown and all the oil in the reservoir 0may be allowed to pass throughpipes'y andr to the separator andpurlfier, the tank a being made of sufficient capacity to hold all theoil discharged frorn the reservoir, the pump 4;, being shut down. After.swabbing out the reservoir 0, pump '0 will be started and the reservoirfilled with clean oil. This ma be called the batch system of cleaning.0th the continuous system and the batch system may be employed.

It should be noted that in the continuous system no oil is. positivelywithdrawn from the system, such dirty oil as flows to the purifier beingonly such as has been displaced by clean oil added.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the following elements areillustrated having the same construction and arrangement as in Fig. 1,and are similarly lettered: turbine a, generator I), reservoir -c, umpd, pipe 6, branches f, g and h to bearmgs, and

- pipes a, j and k discharging from bearings to reservoir.

A pipe 10 extends from pipe e to a pipe discharge end,' as indicated at15, or at any point along pipe 12. The relief valve so functions t atany oil in excess of that taken by the bearings will be pumped to thesettling tank, from there overflowing through pipe 11 back to thereservoir 0. lVater, dirt and the like settle to the bottom of the tank16'and thence pass, through pipe 17, to the centrifugal separator andpurifier 18. The pure oil discharged therefrom is transferred, throughpipe 19,.to the reservoir. For convenience of illustration, the pipe 19is shown as connected to pipe 11. In-this system, also, the separatorand purifier may be, if desired, cut out of the circuit and the oilallowed to circulate endlessly from the reservoir to the bearings andback again. If it is further desired to cut out not only the purifier,but also the overhead settling tank, valve 13 may be opened to allow'theexcess oil to pass through pipes 10 and 11 direct to the reservoir. Thepurifier and separator may be again placed in the oil circulating systemby closing the valve 13. I

Where, in the claims, we specify an engine, we meanto be understood asusing the word in its broad sense and as comprehending, for example, anelectric generator and its driving turbine. I

Having now fully described our invention what we claim and desire toprotect by 'liietters Patent is:

1. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of anendless oiling system comprisipg areceptacle adapted to receive oilfrom the oil, and automaticallyoperating -means to divert excess oil from the system and convey it tothe separator and purifier;

2. In a lubricating Oll purif ing and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system comprising areceptacle adapted to receive oil. drained from the engine bearings andpipe connections through which 011 may e pumped from the receptacledirect to the engine bearings, a centrifugal separator and purifieradapted to remove impurities from the oil, automatically operating meansto divert excess oil from the s stem and convey it to the separator anpurifier, and means to return the oil so purified tothe endless system.

3. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine having a series of bearings, of an oilsupply pipe communicating directly with the several bearings, a pump forlifting oil from the receptacle directly to the supply pipe, meanswhereby oil drained from the bearings is conveyed to the receptacle, anda centifugal separator and purifier connected with the oiling system andadapted to receive therefrom oil and. remove its impurities, and meansto convey the purified oil back to the system.

4. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system comprising areceptacle adapted to receive oil drained from the engine bearings andpipe connections through which oil may be pumped fronithe receptacle tothe engine bearings; a by-passage connected with said pipe connectionsand said receptacle and adapted to bypass oil around the bearings andback to the receptacle, and a relief valve in said passage, and acentrifugal separator and purifier connected with the oiling system andadapted to receive therefrom oil and remove its impurities, and means toconvey the purified oil back't'o the system.

5. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system comprising areceptacle adapted to receive oil drained from the engine bearings andpipe connections through which oil may be pumped from the receptacle tothe engine bearings, a centrifugal separator and purifier adapted toremove the impurities from the oil, and means, inoperative when thesystem contains only a given quantity of oil, but operative when thequantity of 011 in the system exceeds said given quantity, to displaceoil from the system and conduct it to said separator and purifier.

6. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system comprising areceptacle adapted to receive oil drained from theengine bearings andpipe connections through which oil may be pumped fi'om- 'the receptacleto the engine bearings, a centrifugal separator and purifier adapted toremove the impurities from the oil, means, inoperative when the systemcontains only a given quantity of oil, but operative when the quantityof oil in the system exceeds said given quantity, to displace oil fromthe system and conduct it to said separator and purifier, and means toreturn the oil so purified to the endless system.

7. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system comprising areceptacle adapted to receive oil drained from the engine bearings andpipe connections through which oil may be pumped from the receptacle tothe engine bearings, a centrifugal separator and purifier adapted toremove impurities from the oil, and overflow means adapted, when thelevel of the oilin the receptacle rises above a predetermined level, tocarry off oil from the receptacle and convey it to the separator andpurifier.

8. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system comprising areceptacle adapted to receive oil drained from the engine bearings andpipe connections through which oil may be pumped from the receptacle tothe engine bearings, a centrifugal separator and purifier adapted toremove impurities from theoil, overflow means adapted, when the level ofthe oil in the receptacle rises above a predetermined level, to carryoff oil from the receptacle and convey it to the separator and purifier,and means to return the oil so purified to the endless system.

9. In a lubricating oil purifying and re claiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system com-' prising areceptacle adapted to receive oil drained from the engine bearings andpipe connections through which oil may be pumped from the receptacle tothe engine bearings; a centrifugal purifier and sepasecond receptacle tothe first receptacle and a pump to force oil from the second receptaclethrough the last named pipe connection to the first receptacle.

10. In a lubricating oil purifying and reclaiming apparatus, thecombination with the engine, of an endless oiling system comprising areceptacle'adapted to receive oil drained from the enginebearings andpipe connections through which oil may be pumped from the receptacle tothe engine bearings; a by-pa'ss from said. pipe connections direct tothe receptacle and a relief valve thereon, a centrifugal purifier andseparator arranged belowsaid receptacle, pipe connection from saidreceptacle to the purifier and separator, a second receptacle adapted toreceive purified oil from the purifier and separator, a pipe connectionfrom the second receptacle to the first receptacle and a pump to forceoil from the second receptacle through the last named pipe conpumpedfrom the receptacle to the engine bearlngs; a centrifugal (purifier andseparator arranged below sai receptacle, a funnel positioned laterallyof saidreceptacle. a

centrifugal separator and purifier arranged I In testimony of whichinvention, We have hereunto set our hands, respectively, at Boston,Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Penn- 10 'sylvania, on the 21st day ofFebruary, 1920,

and the 24th da of January, 1920. 1 FREDE IO R. C. BOYD.

CYRUS HOWARD HAPGOOD.

